Tuesday, March 25, 2008

3. How did we meet? - Well, Ming simply happened to land in my shed. It was a Thursday afternoon - and I was weeding. He opened the door and walked into sunlight for the first time on earth.

It was shock at first sight.

I offered him a cup of tea (as one does!) - and, well, you know the rest!

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4. Education - Minor public school in Kent.

(i.e. Fee paying but not famous.)

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There was no stress on academic achievement but we did grow our own food and learnt how to preserve it for winter. We also learnt to cook. (Which is unusual.)

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Quite a large number of its ex-students are now working in horticulture and market gardening.

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A few have opened their own whole-food restaurants serving organically grown food.

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5. I rely on the mundane to keep me calm. On rainy days, knitting fulfills the same function as gardening.

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6. My first income came from knitting school jumpers.

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7. I find small talk difficult. That's why cups of tea are useful. They define the length of a visit.

If you enjoy a conversation, you can offer your visitor 'another cup' - except sometimes you can't - because offering a second cup is frequently used as a polite indication that your guests should leave.

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8. I live in permanent fear of catastrophe: nuclear war, famine, that kind of thing. By growing vegetables, I provide myself with delusions of safety.

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By growing bushes and plants I help save The Earth - simultaneously creating somewhere pleasant to sit while waiting for the disaster which (almost inevitably) will come.

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9. I like tatty clothes. The best scent is bonfire.

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10. I like my hands to be coated with dried earth - then I don't mind picking up worms.

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Ron asks for my life in six words:-.Me,Ming, Didcott, Worthing,Garden, Blog..Yes, I think that sums it up pretty succinctly.

13 comments:

Well, let's see, You are 32, been married but not currently. Oh, I forgot Ming and who could forget Ming at whatever age he is. But other than Ming just married once to an Earth person and no children. What's all this about marriage? Does that define who one is by who one is with? The society needs to know. Your education was public and you once worked in a barrister's office in London. But that didn't work out too well as when you walked the streets (no I don't mean that) of London you would notice the flower boxes in windows and doorways; the countryside beckoned. Mum and Dad live in the same village but not too close. Your only sister married an American in the Air Force and they now live in Thule, Greenland. She says it is a wonderful adventure. You think good for her but don't feel that it's so.You write for a business journal and it pays well enough to keep you in seed money and you use this blog to escape the mundane. You like things orderly and calm but find life has a way of disrupting each and every day and who doesn't. Oh, the doorbell is ringing and I have to go. Probably some sweepstakes clearing house telling me I won a fortune. Bye

My question: Would you write your memoir in six words?Here's mine: Not married three times, loved each.

I'll hazard a guess on your age. Ron's guess is close to my initial guess - 31. On the other hand I think it's likely you're older than that, still in your 30's but closer to 40.

Your turn now. Ron's comment is intriguing. I wonder if he got anything right. That's my first question. Did he?

I'd guess one thing the same as his, "You like things orderly and calm." If he's right it's not a hard thing to guess, since most earthlings seem to prefer things orderly and calm. Yet as we all know, life is not always that way.

I'm torn about knowing too much. On the one hand I think the woman behind this story must be a very interesting person about whom I'd like to know more.

On the other hand, the mystery is part of the fun.

In the meantime, here are a few questions:

How did you and Ming meet?

How are the children adjusting to his absence?

Did you have a career before marrying Ming? If yes, what was it?

Do you think the children will ever settle on their ages? (We have the same problem, and not only with the children.)

I don't care much for many 'slimy' things, but worms are ok. Dirt-caked hands make it easier to pick up their slippery little selves. Sometimes I use a little twig to get them up off the patio and walks and back onto the soil so they don't shrivel up and die.

My dog George has been watching me do this his whole life. When he was only a few months old he decided to start helping me save them. He looks at me, then looks back at the worm, and if I don't follow him he'll whine until I do. Then he'll stand there with his nose to the ground, look at me, look at the worm, and wait for me to rescue them! If I don't do it fast enough for him because I can't get a grip, he'll whine some more until they're safely back on the soil. Then he rolls around on his back on the spot where the worm was. He seems very proud of himself when the job is done.

I LOVE worms. My four-year-old always backs away from me when I pick one up with bare, un-muddied hands.

I would like to know...what is your sign? It seems significant considering your interest in plants and space related things. I am a virgo (just in case you were wondering. It seems rude to ask you your sign without telling you mine.)

I don't know, Esther, I would rather not know all of the particulars...I like your mystery...and your mystery man. There are so few left in life, you know...I am perfectly willing to accept that Ming burst forth from your garden shed. Why not? Stranger things have happened...

My planet is venus. I don't know what that says about me. I like Saturn's rings. They look fun for sliding...kind of like rainbows are fun for sliding. Too bad you don't like them...maybe you will reconsider?

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MING

MING'S SPACESHIP

(DISGUISED AS A 1950'S SUITCASE AND HIDDEN IN THE SHED)

MARTIAN

sounds like a cross between Welsh and Chinese.

Much of it comes from the back of the throat, ripples along the tongue and slams into the roof of the mouth.The intonation goes up and down a lot (which is pleasant) - but there are also a lot of startling exclamations mixed in, making the speaker seem aggressive to those who (like me) are used to speaking English.(Even when they aren't.)(Aggressive.)